European and UK alloy steel scrap prices have decreased this week because of soft demand and aggressive negotiations by mills, Fastmarkets heard on Friday June 14.Demand for alloy steel scrap was weak because of similarly poor demand for finished stainless steel products.Scrap traders have reported selling lower volumes than usual in the first half of June, and this situation was only likely to ge...Read More
Prices in Southeast Asia's steel billet market drifted lower on Friday June 14 because market participants in the Philippines were cautious about making any bookings ahead of the forthcoming rainy season, while trading activity in Indonesia had yet to resume fully after the Eid al-Fitr religious holiday.Market participants in Southeast Asia were also concerned about the bearish outlook for prices...Read More
China's domestic rebar market resumed its downtrend on Friday June 14 on declining futures, with prices expected to fall further on mills' higher steel output. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,870-3,900 yuan ($559-563) per tonne, down 10-20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,780-3,830 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneWhile rebar futures moved upward in the first half of the day, th...Read More
European stainless steel prices have been largely stable this week despite coming under pressure from a number of market factors, with mills seeming determined to avoid any erosion of their production margins, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday June 14.Fastmarkets assessed the price of grade-304 cold-rolled (CR) stainless steel sheets at ?,?2,190-2,250 ($2,472-2,539) per tonne delivered in Norther...Read More
Eastern China's Shagang has lowered the list prices for its rebar and wire rod booked and shipped in mid-June. The mill is selling its HRB400 16-25mm rebar at 4,070 yuan ($588) per tonne over the June 11-20 period, down 180 yuan per tonne from its last...Read More
China's finished steel exports fell in May on both a year-on-year basis as well as when compared with the preceding month. The country shipped 5.74 million tonnes of finished steel abroad last month, down 16.5% from a year earlier, according preliminary Chinese customs data released on Monday June 10.Last month's exports are also...Read More
Domestic rebar prices in Brazil fell during May as leading steelmakers battle with new participants for market share amid low domestic demand, retreating from announced price increases.Fastmarkets' domestic rebar price assessment was 2,450-2,600 Reais per tonne delivered on June 7, down from 2,600-2,720 Reais per tonne a month prior. The bottom of the price range is at its lowest for this year.Lon...Read More
Primary aluminium foundry alloy premiums in Europe were steady on Friday June 14 in an illiquid market.Fastmarkets assessed the premium for silicon 7 aluminium wheel alloys over London Metal Exchange cash prices delivered to the Ruhr region with 30-day payment terms at $340-360 per tonne on Friday. It has been at that level since April.Bearish sentiment stemming from the European automotive sector...Read More
Global ferrous scrap prices were mostly on a downward trend in the week ended Friday June 14 due to ample supply from key exporters and limited demand from buyers.While there were numerous bookings into the key Turkish market, the transactions were made at falling prices. This led to buyers in Asia shying away from purchasing cargoes because they expected the price downtrend to continue. Turkey bu...Read More
German steelmakers have settled their monthly scrap contracts for June at prices that are either unchanged or with a decrease of ?,?5 ($6) per tonne month-on-month, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for domestic grade-E3 scrap in Germany was ?,?260-270 ($293-305) per tonne delivered on Friday June 14, compared with ?,?260-275 per tonne delivered in mid-May.Mills in the...Read More
Nickel's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Friday June 14, having reached an intraday high of $12,065 per tonne but failing to close above that mark, while the rest of the complex continued to trade in a downtrend.Volumes traded in nickel were moderately high over the day, with more than 9,000 lots exchanged by the close, second to copper's 11,700...Read More
South32's decision to review the future of its manganese alloy assets comes as little surprise to fellow manganese alloy producers because they are likely to be considering similar options. The review, which could result in the divestment of the assets, reflects a wider predicament affecting alloy producers struggling with historically high ore prices and a subdued market for their own product. So...Read More
The London Metal Exchange has decided on a dispute over when the load-in, load-out (LILO) rule should have been activated, ruling in favor of warehouse company Istim. People familiar with the situation said that the warehousing firm had been found to have acted vigorously and without delay in its dealings with Glencore at its warehouses in Port Klang, Malaysia, following large cancellations of alu...Read More
The temporary truce on tariffs between China and the United States could be over, injecting a new round of uncertainty into the global financial markets and suspending hopes that a resolution to the countries' trade impasse was likely.US President Donald Trump has threatened to raise the tariff on $200 billion-worth of Chinese imports to 25% from 10% by Friday May 10. He also said that the US may...Read More
ThyssenKrupp has appointed Premal Desai as the new chairman of its European steel division, the German conglomerate said on Friday June 14.Desai, who is currently chief financial officer of the steel division, will replace Andreas Goss in the role on Saturday June 15.Goss will resign from his position as chairman of the steel division following the failure...Read More
With an international career that has spanned senior positions with some of the biggest companies and mines for non-ferrous metal production, Sonami president Diego Hernandez tells Andrea Hotter about the multiple roles that led him to the pinnacle of copper mining.Diego Hernandez was in his mid-20s when he learned a very important lesson about negotiating. The young mining executive, who would go...Read More
Nickel's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Friday June 14, having reached an intraday high of $12,065 per tonne but failing to close above that mark, while the rest of the complex continued to trade in a downtrend.Volumes traded in nickel were moderately high over the day, with more than 9,000 lots exchanged by the close, second to copper's 11,700...Read More
The queue for aluminium at London Metal Exchange-approved warehouses at Port Klang, Malaysia, operated by Istim, edged down to 109 days at the end of May, according to the latest LME data.This is slightly down from the 113-day queue at the end of April, the LME said on June 10, but it is significantly lower than the 229-day queue registered at the end of February.Queues for copper,...Read More
Eastern China's hot-rolled coil prices weakened further on Friday June 14, with rising inventory levels putting pressure on sellers.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,800-3,810 yuan ($549-550) per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,780-3,790 yuan per tonne, unchangedThe domestic market remained inactive despite sellers making price cuts.A Tianjin-based trader pointed out tha...Read More
China's month-on-month new electric vehicles (NEV) sales rebounded in August after month-on-month declines in June and July. The drop in sales between May and June was the first drop since September 2016, but Fastmarkets MB had expected Chinese NEV sales to dip temporarily after the June subsidy changes came into effect because consumers and NEV manufacturers would have to adjust to the new subsid...Read More